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Title : Tonight's Work Session May Provoke Debate
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Tonight's Work Session May Provoke Debate

Kellie LaRue has posted the agenda for tonight's Work Session which includes a section on the 2017-2018 budget.  Naturally, that includes the issue of staffing based on enrollment.  That then brings in the issue of waitlists.  (I also note the inclusion in the agenda of a waiver for 2017 graduates that some readers had asked about.)

Page 15 of the agenda has this question (that I've asked before):

What to do with Last Minute New Revenue?

When the state budget is passed, AND IF we receive more revenue than anticipated, what should be done with that increase?

• SMART Goal funding
• More for equity High Needs schools 
• Fall enrollment/split classroom adjustments 
• Middle School math 
• Central admin restoration 
• Other

Recommendations will be part of the June budget work session. 

Let the Board know your thoughts on spending of any new revenue before the June budget work session.

It is also noted that the district is still waiting for action from the City Council on the funding for two tiers for transportation next year.

Page 11 starts the discussion of waitlists.  Items to consider:

Our goal this year is to notify schools of any adjustments by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 16, 2017. 

This is almost to the day the same time as last year.

Waitlist moves are predicated on staffing, not just space capacity 

 This is the first time that I have ever seen this  stated in writing. 

But, that seems to be a statement about neighborhood schools, not Option Schools.

Waitlists for Option Schools continue to be moved based on available seats in classrooms

Staff says that there are only a small number of families impacted by waitlist movement.  I'm not sure that should guide the policy especially if siblings are involved.

– To date about 6,000 of students were on waitlists for 2017-18.
– 3,000 students have received their first choice! 

– 2,200 students currently on waitlists 

Larger number of families negatively impacted

– These schools/families don’t know that they would be impacted and we haven’t heard from them, but we will

I'm not going to reprint the entire page but read page 26 (of the agenda, not the presentation).

 I hope the Board asks some hard questions here.  I know that one parent has done a huge job of creating an Excel sheet that shows that some simple movement - not all the waitlisted students but some - would be fair and be able to have the least impact to schools that might experience fewer students.

The page 28 asks a striking question - "What schools should have a waitlist?"  Well, now that's getting way into the weeds and sure to provoke more arguing.

Another staff question - "Clarify what 'capacity' means."  Seriously?

On the very last page, they note they are considering a Work Session for Waitlists.

From the Soup for Teachers Facebook page, a discussion.  I urge you to read this carefully - there are key thoughts here.  Take it away Kellie and others(partial and bold mine):

Erin Kinsella Klones I'm trying to follow this wait list argument.

So waitlist enrollment is based on staffing, not space.

So while our school (DPIS) has space for lots more K students, we are going to lose 2 teaching positions based on current enrollment. 

Then the district ongoing to turn to the waitlist families and say Sorry, DPIS doesn't have the staffing needed to increase enrollment. Do I have that right?

Kellie LaRue You got it!!!

Terminology  

Kim McCormick There's apparently a new definition of school capacity...WSS "capacity???" This term/concept never came up (that I can recall) during our Capacity Management Task Force meetings...From the work session presentation " Waitlist moves are predicated on staffing, not just space capacity, " and, under wait list movement considerations, "Is there capacity within the WSS staffing allocation?"

Kellie LaRue Yup. that is a brand new argument. Enrollment gives a projection that everyone at the school knows is inaccurate and then open enrollment comes and folks actually want to be at the school and viola ... Nope we have to split siblings because we didn't staff to accommodate siblings.

About the process:

Kim McCormick So the budget department has taken over enrollment planning???

Kellie LaRue Pretty much. They have essentially negated the entire point of open enrollment. Now the only point of open enrollment is to fill a school to projections.

Stephanie Morris That they made before any human parent had a chance to express a preference, and as far as I can tell completely disregarding excess building capacity.

Questions

Emily Lieberman These are the questions/comments I am sending to the Board:

 1) Are you following your promises to families about school choice as outlined in the SAP and SATP? There is no criteria in those documents that says choice is limited based on "effect on other schools" or "staffing allocation" so long as there is building capacity available.

2) Last year Stevens was not allowed to move its waitlist based on "equity" despite acknowledged space available in the building AND available staffing allocation. It is UNFAIR to take away two teachers and refuse to move our waitlist this year because of the district's erroneous refusal to move our waitlist based on "equity" last year. (Several of the kids on the waitlist are on the waitlist for a second year in a row because the district refused to admit them last year.)

3) Does refusing to allow choice assignments to some kids based on their home address cause unequal treatment of some families (i.e., those who live close to lower-performing and/or non-waitlisted schools)? Are the families who live in the areas excluded from the choice process more likely to be lower-income families or families of color compared to the areas where choice assignments are allowed?

Kellie LaRue Because of staff turnover, I think the "institutional memory" that open enrollment was the mechanism to keep siblings together is completely lost. They are treating split siblings like a family problem, not a district problem due to shifting boundaries.

 K-8 STEM news

Cecelia Lehmann I also just found out that Stem in west seattle an a option school with space is not getting their waitlist moved. I dont know much as im not at stem but the apparently the district is floating the idea to move them to schmitz a smaller building.

Melissa Westbrook Is that the idea? Because many of us said Boren was too big for - what was at the time - a K-5 school.

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